Aim Peptides as ligands have shown the active targeting properties to the receptors like integrins, a family of receptors over-expressed in cancers. The present study was to develop and characterize two peptides modif...Aim Peptides as ligands have shown the active targeting properties to the receptors like integrins, a family of receptors over-expressed in cancers. The present study was to develop and characterize two peptides modified drug-containing liposomes. Methods Argine-glycine-aspartic acid （RGD） tripeptide and glycine-argine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine （GRGDS） pentapeptide were used for modifications on the doxorubicin-loaded sterically stabilized liposomes （SSL-doxorubicin） for the liposome preparation, RGD-SSL-doxorubicin and GRGDS-SSL-doxorubicin, respectively. Characterizations were performed by measurements of the encapsulation efficiency, particle size and zeta potential, release rates in a simulated in vivo environment, and cytotoxicity to ovarian cancer cells. Cell uptake was investigated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy methods. Results All encapsulation efficiencies of the liposomes were above 95%, and the modifications using RGD or GRGDS did not affect the final encapsulation efficiency. Average particle sizes of the liposomes Were in the range between 105.7 ± 3.5 nm and 130.5 ± 3.0 nm, and zeta potential values were between -3.3 ± 0.3 and -6.1 ± 0.3 mV. Approximately 2/5 of doxorubicin was released from liposomes before 12 h in the simulated in vivo environment containing fetal bovine serum. Inhibitory rates to cancer cells of the modified liposomes were slightly lower as compared to free doxorubicin. Similar phenomena were observed in the uptake measured by flow cytometry and confocal assay. After uptake applying various formulations on the cancer cells, doxorubicin was mainly distributed in the nuclei of SKOV-3 cells. Conclusion Two new doxorubicin-contained liposomes were successfully prepared and modified with argine-glycine-aspartic acid （RGD） tripeptide and glycine-argine-glycine- aspartic acid-serine （GRGDS） pentapeptide. In vitro characterization indicated that modifications did not alter significantly the properties of the sterically stabilized liposomes.展开更多
The Small ubiquitin-related modifier （SUMO） conjugation to a variety of proteins regulates diverse cellular processes, including transcription, cell cycle regulation and maintenance of genome integrity. To investiga...The Small ubiquitin-related modifier （SUMO） conjugation to a variety of proteins regulates diverse cellular processes, including transcription, cell cycle regulation and maintenance of genome integrity. To investigate in vivo biological function of SUMO paralogs, we inactivated them in the early development of zebrafish. While zebrafish embryos deficient for all three SUMO paralogs, as Ubc9-deficient ones, displayed severe defects, loss of individual SUMO paralog was compatible with a normal development. SUMO-deficient embryos can be rescued by a single human or zebrafish SUMO. While key structural basic lysine residues and N-terminal unstructured stretch of SUMO are critical for in vivo rescue, the consensus Kll sumoylation site of SUMO2 is dispensable, implying that chain formation on this potential site is unessential for normal development. Inactivation of all three SUMOs triggered p53- dependent apoptosis and further inactivation of p53 restored normal zebrafish development. Interestingly, we also demonstrate that the dominant negative truncated form of p53, Δ113p53, significantly blunts SUMO depletion-induced p53 activity in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that SUMO paralogs are indispensable, but redundant, in the early development of zebrafish.展开更多
Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder that occurs in 1:5000 live births. It is characterised by an absence of enteric neurons along a variable region of the gastrointestinal tract. Hirschsprung's dis...Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder that occurs in 1:5000 live births. It is characterised by an absence of enteric neurons along a variable region of the gastrointestinal tract. Hirschsprung's disease is classified as a multigenic disorder, because the same phenotype is associated with mutations in multiple distinct genes. Furthermore, the genetics of Hirschsprung's disease are highly complex and not strictly Mendelian. The phenotypic variability and incomplete penetrance observed in Hirschsprung' s disease also suggests the involvement of modifier genes. Here, we summarise the current knowledge of the genetics underlying Hirschsprung's disease based on human and animal studies, focusing on the principal causative genes, their interactions, and the role of modif ier genes.展开更多
Objective To examine the effects of exogenously administered intermedin （IMD,adrenomedullin-2） on arterial blood pressure,cardiac function and the cardiovascular IMD receptor system in spontaneously hypertensive ra...Objective To examine the effects of exogenously administered intermedin （IMD,adrenomedullin-2） on arterial blood pressure,cardiac function and the cardiovascular IMD receptor system in spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs） as well as to investigate the associated mechanisms.Methods Thirteen week-old male rats were divided in Wistar Kyoto （WKY） group （n =12）,SHR group （n =12）,IMD group （SHRs infused with IMD 1-47 500 ng/kg per hour,n =12）,and ADM group （SHRs infused with adrenomedullin 500 ng/kg per hour,n =12）.Results A two-week continuous administration of low dose IMD 1-47 via mini-osmotic pumps markedly reduced blood pressure,the maximal rates of increase and decrease of left-ventricle pressure development （LV ± dp/dtmax）,left ventricular systolic pressure and heart rate in SHRs.Furthermore,IMD also inhibited protein over-expression of cardiovascular IMD receptors,myocardial Receptor Activity-Modifying Proteins （RAMP1 and RAMP2）,aortic RAMP1,RAMP2,RAMP3,and calcitonin receptor-like receptor （CRLR）;suppressed up-regulation of aortic RAMP1,RAMP2,RAMP3 and CRLR gene expression; and markedly elevated the mRNA abundance of myocardial atrial natriuretic peptide （ANP） and myocardial brain natriuretic peptide （BNP）.Additionally,IMD 1-47 administration in SHRs increased aortic cAMP concentration and reduced myocardial cAMP concentration.Conclusion These findings support the speculation that IMD,as a cardiovascular active peptide,is involved in blood pressure reduction and cardiac function amelioration during hypertension.The mechanism underlying this effect may involve IMD binding of a receptor complex formed by RAMPs and CRLR,and consequential regulation of cAMP levels and other cardiovascular active factors,such as ANP and BNP.展开更多
Vitamin E succinate was synthesized in organic solvents using a modified Novozym-435 as catalyst.In order to improve the catalytic performance of Novozym-435,the enzyme was modified using acetic anhydride, propionic a...Vitamin E succinate was synthesized in organic solvents using a modified Novozym-435 as catalyst.In order to improve the catalytic performance of Novozym-435,the enzyme was modified using acetic anhydride, propionic anhydride and succinic anhydride separately.We found that both the hydrolytic activity and the thermal stability of the modified Novozym-435 were enhanced compared with the unmodified enzyme.The modified Novozym-435 catalysts were used to synthesize the succinate derivative of vitamin E.Compared with the native Novozym-435,the catalytic activity of the modified novozym-435 in promoting the synthesis of vitamin E succinate was dramatically increased,with the novozym-435 modified with succinic anhydride（N435-S）as the most active catalyst.Conditions for the synthesis of vitamin E succinate were also optimized.A mixture of tert-butanol and DMSO（volume ratio of 2︰3）was the most suitable medium for the reaction,whereas the appropriate molar ratio of vitamin E to succinic anhydride and reaction temperature were 1︰5 and 40°C,respectively.Under these reaction conditions,the yield of vitamin E succinate reached 94.4%.N435-S could be reused for five batches.展开更多
A riboflavin operon （rib operon） derived from Bacillus subtilis 368 was modified on structure and the resulting operons were expressed in various strains of Escherichia coli. The results showed that the optimization...A riboflavin operon （rib operon） derived from Bacillus subtilis 368 was modified on structure and the resulting operons were expressed in various strains of Escherichia coli. The results showed that the optimization of the rib operon and the host strain used for expression are two main factors affecting the riboflavin production. Replacing the promoterl and rfn box of the rib operon with a strong constructive promoter spol drastically increased the expression of the rib genes. When E. coli JM109 was used as the host strain, the highest riboflavin production reached 95.3μg/mL （about eight times higher than that of the unmodified r/b operon）. In addition, when tetracycline （20 μg/mL） was used as the selective pressure, compared with the ampicillin resistant transformants, a higher riboflavin yield was obtained in tetracycline resistant host strain.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 30572261)the 985 Projects (Phase II) of theState Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs(Peking University, China).
文摘Aim Peptides as ligands have shown the active targeting properties to the receptors like integrins, a family of receptors over-expressed in cancers. The present study was to develop and characterize two peptides modified drug-containing liposomes. Methods Argine-glycine-aspartic acid （RGD） tripeptide and glycine-argine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine （GRGDS） pentapeptide were used for modifications on the doxorubicin-loaded sterically stabilized liposomes （SSL-doxorubicin） for the liposome preparation, RGD-SSL-doxorubicin and GRGDS-SSL-doxorubicin, respectively. Characterizations were performed by measurements of the encapsulation efficiency, particle size and zeta potential, release rates in a simulated in vivo environment, and cytotoxicity to ovarian cancer cells. Cell uptake was investigated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy methods. Results All encapsulation efficiencies of the liposomes were above 95%, and the modifications using RGD or GRGDS did not affect the final encapsulation efficiency. Average particle sizes of the liposomes Were in the range between 105.7 ± 3.5 nm and 130.5 ± 3.0 nm, and zeta potential values were between -3.3 ± 0.3 and -6.1 ± 0.3 mV. Approximately 2/5 of doxorubicin was released from liposomes before 12 h in the simulated in vivo environment containing fetal bovine serum. Inhibitory rates to cancer cells of the modified liposomes were slightly lower as compared to free doxorubicin. Similar phenomena were observed in the uptake measured by flow cytometry and confocal assay. After uptake applying various formulations on the cancer cells, doxorubicin was mainly distributed in the nuclei of SKOV-3 cells. Conclusion Two new doxorubicin-contained liposomes were successfully prepared and modified with argine-glycine-aspartic acid （RGD） tripeptide and glycine-argine-glycine- aspartic acid-serine （GRGDS） pentapeptide. In vitro characterization indicated that modifications did not alter significantly the properties of the sterically stabilized liposomes.
基金Supplementary information is linked to the online version of the paper on the Cell Research website.Acknowledgements We thank Dr Jiang Zhu （Shanghai institute of hematology, Rui Jin hospital） and Dr Nelly Kieffer （CNRS LIA, Rui Jin hospital） for their comments. This work was supported by grants from the National High Tech Program of China （863, 2006AA02Z150）, the National Science Foundation of China （30525006）, the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality （07XD14022, 06PJ14068）, ATIP program and BNP PARIBAS.
文摘The Small ubiquitin-related modifier （SUMO） conjugation to a variety of proteins regulates diverse cellular processes, including transcription, cell cycle regulation and maintenance of genome integrity. To investigate in vivo biological function of SUMO paralogs, we inactivated them in the early development of zebrafish. While zebrafish embryos deficient for all three SUMO paralogs, as Ubc9-deficient ones, displayed severe defects, loss of individual SUMO paralog was compatible with a normal development. SUMO-deficient embryos can be rescued by a single human or zebrafish SUMO. While key structural basic lysine residues and N-terminal unstructured stretch of SUMO are critical for in vivo rescue, the consensus Kll sumoylation site of SUMO2 is dispensable, implying that chain formation on this potential site is unessential for normal development. Inactivation of all three SUMOs triggered p53- dependent apoptosis and further inactivation of p53 restored normal zebrafish development. Interestingly, we also demonstrate that the dominant negative truncated form of p53, Δ113p53, significantly blunts SUMO depletion-induced p53 activity in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that SUMO paralogs are indispensable, but redundant, in the early development of zebrafish.
基金Supported by The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia to Anderson RB: Project grant, No. 509219a CDA Fellowship, No. 454773
文摘Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder that occurs in 1:5000 live births. It is characterised by an absence of enteric neurons along a variable region of the gastrointestinal tract. Hirschsprung's disease is classified as a multigenic disorder, because the same phenotype is associated with mutations in multiple distinct genes. Furthermore, the genetics of Hirschsprung's disease are highly complex and not strictly Mendelian. The phenotypic variability and incomplete penetrance observed in Hirschsprung' s disease also suggests the involvement of modifier genes. Here, we summarise the current knowledge of the genetics underlying Hirschsprung's disease based on human and animal studies, focusing on the principal causative genes, their interactions, and the role of modif ier genes.
文摘Objective To examine the effects of exogenously administered intermedin （IMD,adrenomedullin-2） on arterial blood pressure,cardiac function and the cardiovascular IMD receptor system in spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs） as well as to investigate the associated mechanisms.Methods Thirteen week-old male rats were divided in Wistar Kyoto （WKY） group （n =12）,SHR group （n =12）,IMD group （SHRs infused with IMD 1-47 500 ng/kg per hour,n =12）,and ADM group （SHRs infused with adrenomedullin 500 ng/kg per hour,n =12）.Results A two-week continuous administration of low dose IMD 1-47 via mini-osmotic pumps markedly reduced blood pressure,the maximal rates of increase and decrease of left-ventricle pressure development （LV ± dp/dtmax）,left ventricular systolic pressure and heart rate in SHRs.Furthermore,IMD also inhibited protein over-expression of cardiovascular IMD receptors,myocardial Receptor Activity-Modifying Proteins （RAMP1 and RAMP2）,aortic RAMP1,RAMP2,RAMP3,and calcitonin receptor-like receptor （CRLR）;suppressed up-regulation of aortic RAMP1,RAMP2,RAMP3 and CRLR gene expression; and markedly elevated the mRNA abundance of myocardial atrial natriuretic peptide （ANP） and myocardial brain natriuretic peptide （BNP）.Additionally,IMD 1-47 administration in SHRs increased aortic cAMP concentration and reduced myocardial cAMP concentration.Conclusion These findings support the speculation that IMD,as a cardiovascular active peptide,is involved in blood pressure reduction and cardiac function amelioration during hypertension.The mechanism underlying this effect may involve IMD binding of a receptor complex formed by RAMPs and CRLR,and consequential regulation of cAMP levels and other cardiovascular active factors,such as ANP and BNP.
基金Supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the State Key Development Program for Basic Research of China(2007CB714304)
文摘Vitamin E succinate was synthesized in organic solvents using a modified Novozym-435 as catalyst.In order to improve the catalytic performance of Novozym-435,the enzyme was modified using acetic anhydride, propionic anhydride and succinic anhydride separately.We found that both the hydrolytic activity and the thermal stability of the modified Novozym-435 were enhanced compared with the unmodified enzyme.The modified Novozym-435 catalysts were used to synthesize the succinate derivative of vitamin E.Compared with the native Novozym-435,the catalytic activity of the modified novozym-435 in promoting the synthesis of vitamin E succinate was dramatically increased,with the novozym-435 modified with succinic anhydride（N435-S）as the most active catalyst.Conditions for the synthesis of vitamin E succinate were also optimized.A mixture of tert-butanol and DMSO（volume ratio of 2︰3）was the most suitable medium for the reaction,whereas the appropriate molar ratio of vitamin E to succinic anhydride and reaction temperature were 1︰5 and 40°C,respectively.Under these reaction conditions,the yield of vitamin E succinate reached 94.4%.N435-S could be reused for five batches.
文摘A riboflavin operon （rib operon） derived from Bacillus subtilis 368 was modified on structure and the resulting operons were expressed in various strains of Escherichia coli. The results showed that the optimization of the rib operon and the host strain used for expression are two main factors affecting the riboflavin production. Replacing the promoterl and rfn box of the rib operon with a strong constructive promoter spol drastically increased the expression of the rib genes. When E. coli JM109 was used as the host strain, the highest riboflavin production reached 95.3μg/mL （about eight times higher than that of the unmodified r/b operon）. In addition, when tetracycline （20 μg/mL） was used as the selective pressure, compared with the ampicillin resistant transformants, a higher riboflavin yield was obtained in tetracycline resistant host strain.
